Myles Thaler Center

More than one million Americans and about 35 million people
worldwide are infected with HIV-1. Despite the introduction of anti-
HIV drugs, more research on the mechanisms of HIV-1 pathogenesis and
replication is critical for developing safer and more effective
treatments for AIDS.

Investigators in UVA's Myles H. Thaler Center for AIDS and Human
Retrovirus Research work within a community of infectious disease and
immunology experts that ranks among the best in the nation. Here, they
address fundamental questions about how AIDS develops and how HIV
replicates at the cellular and molecular level.

The Center has faculty associated with the
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, the
Department of Molecular Physiology
and Biological Physics and the
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health of the
Department of Medicine. This multifaceted approach to HIV-1
and AIDS research creates a highly interactive environment where Thaler
Center researchers work towards elucidating the fundamental cellular
and pathogenic processes used by HIV-1 and Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated
Herpesvirus. Understanding the mechanisms that these viruses use
for replication provides essential information for the design of new
anti-viral drugs and immune-based therapies. These same studies also
generate knowledge with broad implications for cancer, neurological
disease, and other realms of medicine. The Center also has
collaborative projects with investigators worldwide, including several
at African Universities, where research is focused on the global HIV
epidemic.